One of the biggest things I struggle with in winter is keeping my houseplants at a happy moisture level, and I’m not the only one. Overwatering is common among houseplant owners at this time of year, as colder room temperatures cause soil to dry out slowly. It’s even harder to manage if you don’t have planters with drainage holes. But, I’ve just found an ingenious tool that fixes this problem in an instant: drainage planter inserts.
It’s one of the simplest indoor plant tools I’ve come across. All you have to do is put a drainage planter insert (available at Amazon) in your planter to create empty space beneath soil level for excess water to drain to. It’s the winter houseplant care essential I’ve been looking for, and now I don’t have to replace all of my favorite beautiful ceramic houseplant pots for ones with drainage holes.
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2pcs Drainage Planter Inserts
These plastic drainage planter inserts are for large pots, measuring 10 inches in diameter. They sit around halfway down a planter, creating empty space beneath for excess water to drain to. They can be used for both houseplants and outdoor container plants.
How Do Drainage Planter Inserts Work?
(Image credit: Future)
Drainage planter inserts can be used for indoor plants and in a container garden alike.
They’re essentially a plate with several holes, usually made from durable plastic, that can be placed around halfway (or further) down a plant pot.
This stops potting soil reaching the bottom of the planter, creating vacant space for excess water to drain into.
This prevents soil being oversaturated and stops plant roots sitting in excess water, which often leads to houseplant root rot and can attract common houseplant pests.
This is even better paired with a soil moisture meter (like this one from Amazon) which helps to identify when houseplant soil has dried out, so you don’t water too soon.
It’s one of the best solutions I’ve seen for what to put at the bottom of a large planter, too, reducing the amount of potting soil needed. Plus, they take lots of forms for different styles of container:
Adjustable Drainage Planter Insert
This drainage planter insert has an adjustable height, so it can be used in a number of planters, particularly ideal for tall planters. It comes with two plate sizes: 8 inches and 10 inches.
Square Drainage Planter Insert
This drainage planter insert is for square planters. It measures 13 inches in diameter, sitting halfway down a planter to save the need for more potting soil and to aid drainage.
6-Pack Drainage Planter Inserts
This 6 pack of drainage planter inserts comes with a mix of 10,11 and 13 inch round plates for a number of different planters. They’re made from durable stainless steel for long-lasting use.
Why Shoppers Love The Amazon Drainage Planter Inserts
(Image credit: Getty Images / Olga Peshkova)
The 2-pack of orange drainage planter inserts on Amazon have rave reviews from shoppers who rate it 4.5 stars and express how excellently they work.
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‘Whoever invented these was a genius! Large pots full of dirt are difficult to move. With these inserts, the weight is drastically reduced, yet there is still plenty of soil,’ one five-star reviewer writes.
With these inserts, you don’t have to fill the bottom of a large planter, making it lighter and easier to move.
‘These worked great in my tall planters on my porch. I didn’t have to waste money on potting soil to fill the entire planter. Plus the dirt doesn’t stay wet since it is elevated in the planters,’ one shopper writes.
‘Saves room in the pot for drainage,’ another describes.
It’s a simple yet effective solution for what to put in a planter for drainage, elevating soil for excess water to run out, much like how hanging planters work.
As for the quality of the inserts, shoppers say they’re ‘sturdy enough to keep the soil up.’
‘They’re as simple to use as putting it in and putting soil on top,’ another reviewer writes.
Of course, the one downside is that these particular drainage planter inserts don’t fit all planter sizes, measuring 10 inches in diameter, and it can take a little bit of work to figure out the exact size you need:
‘I bought these and when I got them they didn’t fit the pot that I bought them for. They are very [good] but you will want to measure your pot halfway down to see how large of one you will need,’ one shopper writes.
As a general rule of thumb, you should purchase an insert that is a few inches in dimeter smaller than your pot. This way it won’t sit too close to the top, nor will it fall right to the bottom.
For example, if these 10 inch diameter inserts don’t fit your smaller pot, these 8 inch drainage planter inserts from Amazon might be a better fit.
Drainage planter inserts are an affordable solution to pots without drainage holes, so you don’t have to replace your collection of pots. However, you should still take care not to make container gardening mistakes and indoor plant mistakes, as these inserts won’t look after other aspects of plant care.
Shop Stylish Houseplant Accessories
This pack of mini houseplant tools have everything you need to pot up plants, aerate soil, dust houseplant leaves, and more. It comes with a canvas bag to house the tools.
Self-Watering Bird Globes
These charming bird self-watering globes sit in houseplant soil and slowly drip water into the soil. It keeps plants consistently hydrated, without over or underwatering.
Use this glass plant mister to spray houseplants that love extra humidity. In between use it looks gorgeous on a shelf or coffee table.
4 Pack Houseplant Trellis
This set of gold houseplant trellises is sophisticated. It comes with 4 designs, perfect for supporting a number of indoor climbing plants.
This beautiful canvas garden apron has multiple pockets to carry all the tools you need while tending to houseplants or working in the yard.
Use this soil moisture meter to identify how much your houseplant’s soil has dried out. Simply place the probe into soil and read the meter number.
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